or contrasted with Mofes, Lycurgus, Mahomet, and Peter of Ruffia, from its acutenefs and perfpicuity, reflects credit on the talents both of the hero and author of the effay.

A Courfe of Phyfico-Theological Lectures upon the State of the World, from the Creation to the Deluge. By Robert Miln,

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A. M. 8vo. 55. in Boards. Faulder.

F it were defigned to demonftrate the care of Providence as well as its wifdom from the arrangements of the universe, the various fupports and affiftance which man receives, and the wonderful ftructure of his organs, adapted either for the continuance of life, the prefervation of the fpecies, or even the gratification of the fenfes, phyfico-theology might be an ufeful ftudy. But it would require extensive knowlege, acute penetration, and a found judgment, to perceive what really exifts, and not to convert blemishes into bleffings, or to fuppose wonderful order in what is the effect of accidental circumstances, or in arrangements which are the offsprings of the imagination. Mr. Ray's very excellent work is defective in fome of these respects, not from his errors, but from the imperfect state of fcience at the period when he wrote. Mr. Miln does not examine every part of the subject: he chiefly confines himself to the philofophy of the Old Teftament, the defcription of the creation, the fall and the deluge. In thefe accounts he is very unequal, and very inconfiftent. He contends, for inftance, for the philofophical accuracy of every part of the Mofaic account of the creation, and enlarges on his own explanations and the fancies of others, while in another place, where the motion of the fun is mentioned, he expressly tells us, that the scriptures are not defigned to teach us philofophy. Again: while he fuppofes the account of the creation to be dictated by infpiration, and to be philofophically true, he, in another place, allows, that the defign of Mofes was chiefly to preferve the genealogy of the Ifraelites, and the connection of their different branches. Another inconfiftency is, in the population of the antediluvian world: when it is neceffary to explain the different connections, and to give fome. account of people fpoken of, feemingly diftinct from the family of Adam, in the earlier periods the population is reprefented to increase with rapidity: about the time of the deluge, when fo few entered the ark with Noah, the population is fupposed to be inconfiderable, In fhort, the author is engaged on uncertain and precarious ground; fo that it is not furprising that he should fometimes flide, and fometimes fink: we rather wonder that, with much good fenfe, and no little thare of information, he should have undertaken the task at all.

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The firft Lecture is on the book of Job: Mr. Miln fuppofes it to be written before the giving of the law from mount Sinai, because there is no allufion to the rites of Mofes, the fojourning of the Ifraelites in Egypt, or their peregrination through the wilderness. We have formerly read Homer with care, and recollect nothing of that kind in him; and we really think it equally reasonable to fuppofe the Grecian ballads of the early age, which from that caufe he would affign to Job. The di-. ftance of Arabia from Egypt and Palæftine is not much greater 'than that of Greece, or at least of Ionia. It is more reprehenfible in Mr. Miln to draw ferious arguments from the bold, the exuberant imagery of this valuable relic. • Where waft thou, when I laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy? This is a fublime and animated apoftrophe; and it is adduced by our author to fhow, that ftars (literally ftars) exifted before the foundation of our world: we should not have been furprised if he had confidered the fons of God in an equally literal fenfe. The fubitance of the book of Genefis is fuppofed to be revealed to Adam, and handed down to Mofes.

It would be improper to confider the hiftory of the creation as related by Mofes, too minutely, nor are we willing to retail the fneers of infidels against it, because they are weak, idle, and ill-founded. There is one argument which must always have weight if the Bible is not a ftrictly philofophical defcription of different appearances in every part, we are not obliged to confider it as fuch in any. If the history of the antediluvian ages is not a true account of what really happened, in its whole extent, there is no reafon for thinking it any thing more than a connecting link, to give an union and confiftency to the whole. That it is not an hiftorical account, is evident from the tree of life, the tree of knowlege of good and evil, the ferpent, &c. Thefe are fo plainly allegorical, fo clearly defcriptive of depraved inclinations, and of temptations in every age, that it feems never to have been defigned but as a leffon to guard against the indulgence of fenfual appetites. Even our author is more than once inclined to confider it as an allegory; and he is ftopped, feemingly, from one confideration alone. We fhall tranfcribe the paffage.

I will put an enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed. It shall brwife thy head, and thou shalt bruife his heel. It is very remarkable in thefe words, that the enmity was only to fubfift between the ferpent, and the woman with her feed. But had this hiftory been an allegory, in which the ferpent reprefents paffion, what reafon can be given, why there fhould be no oppofition on the part of the man? Was he to

have no paffions wherewith to contend, but to live as he lifted, while the woman was only to be kept under restraint? This proves the history to be real, and not allegorical.'

In this part the allegory is carried on with respect to the fer pent fomewhat literally; but no one could for a moment think that a real ferpent was intended. The wicked one who was supposed to have fuggested these thoughts, and to have urged the woman to difobedience, is confidered as the rooted enemy, to mankind, and to the woman in particular, for he alone difobeyed, in confequence of his advice. The oppofition between them is pointed out as between a human being and a reptile; nor is there any reafon to fuppofe, by referring to her feed, that there was any allufion to our Saviour. This is a far-fetched analogy, without any foundation, unless our Saviour was to have fprung immediately from Eve, without any intermediate defcendant. The works of Mofes are diftinguished by their fimplicity, their fublimity, and their eloquence; yet we cannot, with our author, fo greatly admire his art, in comprifing the hiftory of 2000 years in a few fhort chapters, when we confider that the events are fo few, that even his few pages are filled with evident allegory.

The fecond Lecture contains a particular account of the creation, according to Mofes. Mr. Miln examines every day's work with care, and explains what may feem doubtful and uncertain. Indeed thefe points are laboured with fo much accuracy as to render the whole frequently ridiculous. On this ferious fubject we would wish to avoid levity; but as we have given an opinion, we fhall fupport it by a fpecimen.

Some may wonder, why making the air fhould be the work of one whole day, especially as this feems to be no more than the effect of natural caufes. But fuch fhould confider, that the firmament and clouds are objects of great magnitude in holy writing. In them the great Creator gives to mankind the most ftriking difplay of his majesty, power, and goodness, He makes the clouds his pavillion, from whence he utters the voice of his excellency, at which the mountains are moved out of their places, and the pillars of the earth do tremble. By them he watereth and refrefbeth the earth; and makes it a nurfing mother for the various tribes of its inhabitants. He ufeth the clouds not only for mercy, but for correction; and by them turns a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. When the pfalmift calls upon a nature to celebrate the praises of its Creator, he thus begins, Praife ye the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights."

Does this argument amount to any thing more than that what the Hebrew poets employed frequently in their imagery, was of great importance in the eyes of an Hebrew hiftorian?

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That one work is more difficult than another to the Almighty is an impious fnppofition; and that much time was required to make what was afterwards to furnish fuch varied imagery, is one which we are afhamed to fuggeft even after our author, and ftill more afhamed to dwell on. The following paffage may perhaps excite a fmile:

The manner of her (Eve's) formation was different from that of her husband. He was made of rude duft, but the of duft already dignified and refined; which accounts for the fuperior delicacy of the female fex.

There are many fimilar paffages, which we fhall not fwell our article by enlarging on: there are many which might furnish ubject for ridicule, if our respect for the author and his subject did not check our pen. If Mr. Miln had not voluntarily put on the fetters, he would not have excited our attention by his mode of walking in them: we must repeat, that he is well acquainted with philofophy, and with the labours of commentators on the Bible.

The third Lecture is on the wifdom and goodness of God in the creation. It shows the piety and the goodness of the author's heart in a. ftrong light. His inftances of God's goodnefs are not, however, correctly explained. He speaks of our planet's poffeffing a favourite place in the fyftem, without reflecting that he ought to have confidered the wifdcm of God in adjusting the various conftitutions of the inhabitants of the different planets to their fituations. We might undoubtedly been made capable of bearing the heat of Mercury, or the cold of the Herfchel with equal eafe; or either planet might be conftituted fo as to fit conftitutions like our's.

The fourth Lecture is on the state of man in paradife. The garden of Eden is fuppofed to have been fituated fomewhere above the Perfian gulf, on the banks of the Euphrates. He defcribes the fituation of Adam, according to the account of Mofes. Though the circumftances are confidered too literally, yet there are many judicious thoughts and juft reflections interfperfed in this Lecture.

The following effay is on the fall, and the fixth on the confequences of the fall. The curfe on the ground mentioned by Mofes, our author fuppofes may be explained from a deftruction of its fertility, in confequence of volcanos; and the flaming fword of the cherubim at the east end of the garden, to fignify a natural conflagration of that portion of the globe. Thefe explanations may probably be juft; but they certainly are founded on an imaginary basis. The effect of the fire turning that portion of ground into fea, is probably more fo. Mr, Miln's obfervation on the fin of Adam being transferred to his

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pofterity we shall not felect, because he feems to leave the queftion undecided, whether the guilt really remains.

The feventh Lecture is on the state of the world after the fall: but much of this is uncertain, fince Mofes, with an anxious rapidity, haftens to his principal object. He foon leaves the posterity of Cain, and purfues with care that of Seth. Yet even here our author will ftep out of his way to debase his subject; for when he quotes the paffage of Abel's being a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground, it fhews, as he says, that the former was a more honourable employment, otherwife the elder brother would not have made choice of it: it was perhaps more effentially neceffary to preferve life, and therefore the first object of employment. Mr. Miln's remark reminds us of an obfervation on one of St. Paul's Epistles, where he mentions a relation by marriage. It was fagely obferved, that it was no wonder St. Paul's relations were married well, fince their husbands might expect to rife in the church. This Lecture contains, however, fome just remarks on the patriarchal religion, facrifices, and the banishment of Cain.

From the fubfequent Lecture on the family of Cain and Seth, as well as on the longevity of the patriarchs, we shall extract a fpecimen of Mr. Miln's abilities in facred criticifin: it is an ingenious and probable explanation.,

• We are next presented with a fpeech of Lamech to Adah and Zillah. Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech : biarken unto my Speech: for I have flain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged jeven fold, then Lamech feventy and feven fold. Thefe words are fome ancient fragment of a history, and have no connection with what goes before or fol lows after. Therefore it is impoffible to fay on what occafion, or for what purpose they were fpoken.

The Jews had a foolith conceit that Lamech flew Cain. But had this been the cafe, how could he have faid, that he had flain a young man, for by this time Cain must have been greatly advanced in years? Befides, instead of being punished, he fays that he fhould be avenged, i. e. others would be punished far more feverely for killing him, than if they had killed Cain. The most rational conjecture about the intent of Lamech's declaration is this: the murder of Abel had for a loug time occafioned an animofity between the defcendents of Seth and Cain, which had made the latter build a city, that his children might live near together, and be able more easily to unite for the common fafety. And it happening that Adah and Zillah, upon hearing fome alarming news, acquainted their huf band of the great danger he was in. When Lamech, to compofe their minds and banish their fears, made unto them the following speech, which fhould begin with a queftion, and then may be thus paraphrafed. Why thould we make our lives un

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